Alissa Magrum Races to Make a Difference

This weekend, South Central Regional Champ Alissa Magrum will participate in a different sort of triathlon. For one thing, it will start in a pool. For another, there will be 400 kids there, aged five to fifteen.

This event – Colin’s Hope Kids Triathlon – is the realization of Magrum’s dream to use her physical talents to help people and save lives. Magrum is the executive director of Colin’s Hope, a non-profit that creates and supports programs that aid in the prevention of drowning. In 2016, Magrum helped raise $80,000 by collecting pledges and competing in marathons, triathlons, and swims.

“Drowning remains the leading cause of accidental death for children under four, and I’m passionate about changing that by sponsoring swim lessons for children and building awareness of water safety,” said Magrum, who is also an XTERRA Ambassador.

Alissa Magrum

Magrum knows too well how devastating the water can be. A good friend of hers lost her life in the water. And her non-profit is named after a friend’s son, Colin, who drowned when he was four.

Colin’s father founded Colin’s Hope three months after he drowned. Soon after, Magrum called and said, “I’m going to swim four miles in Lake Travis and I’d like to raise twenty thousand dollars for Colin’s Hope.”

Done and done. Today, as the executive director of Colin’s Hope, Magrum helps raise almost one hundred thousand dollars a year for the organization.

The Colin’s Hope Kids Triathlon is just one of Magrum’s fundraisers. But as excited as she is about the race, Magrum is just as excited to see kids out there competing in her favorite sport.

“I’ve done sports since I was four years old, so I’ve made it a personal mission to grow young athletes,” said Magrum, “When I found XTERRA five years ago, it was like I found my place. I love the camaraderie and hearing everyone’s stories. It’s bigger than going out and competing in the three sports I love. It’s about putting your heart out there.”

Like Deanna McCurdy, who races to raise awareness for Angelman Syndrome, Magrum uses her triathlons as a platform for water safety and drowning prevention.

In addition to her full time job, Magrum and her wife Keri – also an amazing athlete – have three middle school daughters with busy schedules of their own.

“My racing fits in the cracks,” said Magrum, referring to her schedule. “I may have to get up at four in the morning to fit in a workout.”

But Magrum is emphatic that exercise is not negotiable. When her daughter was little and Magrum was a single parent, she hired a babysitter to come over at five in the morning so she could run. The other day, Magrum had to take her daughter to athletics, at six thirty in the morning, so she got up earlier to fit in her own workout.

“Training is my balance,” said Magrum. “Food, water, and exercise. I don’t let excuses come up.”

Magrum is passionate that her three girls see that she can work hard and work strong.

“Racing is fun and good for my health, but I’m also racing for a higher purpose. It’s bigger than just winning.”

This year, Magrum competed in her local Texas races as well as XTERRA Beaver Creek. Because she is a three-time XTERRA Regional Champ, you might expect her to talk about her race strategy, her wins, or how she blew everyone out of the water on the swim. Instead, she talks about the wildflowers on the XTERRA Beaver Creek course and how the Texas athletes support one another.

“I just love being around the XTERRA people,” said Magrum. “Shoot. Now I’m going to cry.”

The post Alissa Magrum Races to Make a Difference appeared first on XTERRA.

Source | Back to News